Topic: a sign autmn is on it's way

[qahtan]

 qahtan

[grannyjanny]

They look beautiful, but then anything in purple I'm a sucker for ;D.

[brown thumb]

i have ;one; where did it come from? and what is it

[Linnea]

it's a colchicum (common name: autumn crocus) where it came from - no idea, I've never had any appear without me planting them
they're lovely. I have many in my garden and agree with grannyjanny about being a sucker for anything purple!

[galina]

Heard on the radio this morning that they have just developed an experimental  cancer drug from Autumn Crocus that only attaches to cancer and does not kill other cells, unlike chemo.  Thanks for showing a picture of the plant.  Very pretty.

[Digeroo]

And then you can take out the yellow bit and you have saffron but do not eat the corms they are toxic.

[Flighty]

Lovely, but they're a bit early aren't they! 

[cornykev]

I have a pair of purple pants.   :P

[pumkinlover]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colchicum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocus

The way I remember is colchicum 6 anthers, crocus 3 anthers

Sad isn't it! ;)

[tim]

Ours have been & gone.

[brown thumb]

i have crocus planted in the same spot so perhaps a stray bulb was mixed in  with them

[gavinjconway]

I dont need crocuses to tell me Autumn is on the way.... My 2 cats sleeping on the bed in the late afternoon sunshine!! 

[Robert_Brenchley]

Egremont russet falling off the tree is sign enough for me!

[Ruth Rocket]

A sign that Autumn is on the way:
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2011-1/september/30/gravesend_sizzles.aspx
Ha!

[LesH]

   My idea that autumn is on its way is when I prune the Glen Moy (summer fruiting raspberries) and that is what I have done in the last week.

[Spudbash]

WARNING: According to the article I read earlier, ALL parts of meadow saffron are poisonous, unlike the stamens of the saffron crocus. Meadow saffron is a member of the colchicum family, rather than the iris family, as the saffron crocus is.

I don't know whether others consider the stamens of meadow saffron safe to eat and I haven't tried them myself, but I thought it fair to pass on what I've read.

I would post a link to the article I read, which was in the gardening section of yesterday's Daily Telegraph, but it hasn't been uploaded yet.
 
Spudbash  :)